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Previous Chapter: ENDLESS Chapter 49: Journey

Next Chapter: ENDLESS Chapter 51: Question

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CHAPTER 50: EIRIAN

The Eirian throne room was as Malia remembered it; no amount of time could disperse its striking image from memory. Bright light charged at the young group through the stained glass windows, the disparate pillars flanked their path to the queen. One pillar for each Eirian monarch. Tradition dictated that every Eirian ruler must add their own, built to abide by their beauty. A column of intricately carved marble, one dark and smooth as a starless night, one constructed from jagged stone, one implausibly crystalline… Not one pillar mirrored another.

And at the end of the engineered spectacle, Frida Eirian sat leisurely on her throne. The queen’s shimmery gown matched her grey eyes, sparkling with fierce curiosity. But it was her aunt’s flowing plum hair that forced Malia to instantly and involuntarily think of her mother.

“How many years has it been?” Frida’s voice was as lovely as the rest of her, “I couldn’t be blamed for not recognizing you. You resemble Cattleya more than the cute little girl who last visited us.”

“I don’t know how many exactly… But you stayed the same, aunt Frida.”

“So you do remember us. I was beginning to wonder… Speak then. Your appearance, your companions and your timing intrigue me.”

It was then, as Malia arranged her thoughts enough to talk coherently, that she noticed the elderly man sitting next to Frida and looking down affably at her. How didn’t I see him there before? “…We’ve discovered valuable information regarding the kingdom and how it came to be. We intend to change the current order, and for that purpose we wish to ally ourselves with you, the Eirian clan. We came here to share what we’ve found in hopes of convincing you.”

“Those are some grand words… valuable information, current order, the kingdom… Have you told anyone else about it?”

“We informed the members of the human rebellion.”

“I meant anyone else with actual power.”

“…No.”

Frida narrowed her eyes slightly, “Did you think of telling Clarissa about all this ‘valuable information’?”

“I haven’t really had a chance.” Malia was confused, “With Amos in the northern palace I can’t easily contact my mother.”

Frida exhaled audibly, ensuring her displeasure was palpable, “Are you aware of what’s going on up north this very moment? Of the mess you left for my little sister to clean up?”

Malia didn’t have an answer. She glanced quickly at her friends, then back at Frida.

“Clearly, you are not.” The southern queen leaned back on her throne, “On a cloudless night, your mother’s white hawk brought me a desperate message. Cain had captured you, locked you in a dungeon, and she feared for your life. Amos refused to listen to Clarissa, ecstatic to finally have a proper reason to get rid of you. My sister begged me to remind Amos why he had kept you alive for so long: your Eirian blood. That is to say, our power, our army, and how much he feared war with us.” Frida stood up, her footsteps crisp on the polished floor, “I answered the call, of course. A company of our finest soldiers turned up as promptly as the horses allowed, but what did they find? Not you, my dear niece, but a hallway full of corpses, if you can call what was left of Prince Cain a corpse.”

Gorken stepped forward, as if ready to answer should he be mentioned, while Malia opened her mouth soundlessly, searching for ways to change the course of the conversation.

“That’s fine, you can stay quiet for a bit longer. I’m not done yet.” Frida kept elegantly pacing back and forth, “Shortly after the arrival of our soldiers, Amos threw himself out of the window of his chamber. Servants reported he couldn’t handle the loss of his son.”

Malia’s breath caught in her throat. She had resented her uncle for as long as she could recall… and yet the image of his body colliding with the ground made her entrails twist in unnatural ways.

“Now, what did the rest of the Daimonlance clan deduce?” Frida stopped walking, “They’re not a brilliant bloodline, but I can’t blame them for once. How did a single princess massacre a bunch of soldiers? What were Eirian troops doing in the north the same day Amos killed himself? How come two Daimonlance kings have died while married to Clarissa Eirian? …Did you, for even a second, pause to ponder about the chaos you were leaving behind? Did you spare my little sister a glimmer of a thought?”

“She wasn’t responsible for that.” Gorken spoke up, “I’m the one who killed Cain. When our rescue party found Malia, she was as good as dead. Your soldiers weren’t there in time. We had no way of knowing her mother was aware of the situation, nor could we have predicted Amos’ suicide.”

“Correct answer, human boy. Your name?”

“Gorken.”

“I’ll remember it.” Frida’s stare returned to Malia, “It’s fair to say you couldn’t have known at the time. You do, however, realize how hard it is to take your claim of possessing valuable information seriously when you’re clueless about the consequences of your own actions? Talking about changing the order of the kingdom while being ignorant of its current state… That’s almost belligerently incompetent. You come here, seeking to benefit from the Eirian blood coursing through your veins, when you left your own mother in the midst of a gory scandal. Why should I listen to you instead of grounding you as I would a child?”

Malia met Frida’s eyes, “Because you’re a wise ruler. I may have proven to be obtusely short-sighted… but you’re not. You lose nothing by hearing what we have to say, and then punishing us if you see fit. If our presence intrigued you it’s because we may hold answers you don’t have. I trust the judgment of the Eirian Queen to assess the value of what we’re offering, and to act accordingly.”

Calmly and gracefully, Frida walked down the steps to stand in front of her niece. “You have your father’s eyes.” She said, “The eyes that stole my sister from me. Now you seek to take even more. Arthur’s turquoise gaze was a little too earnest, a little too intrusive. It always disarmed Clarissa. I never got the appeal.”

Then the queen smiled. It was an irresistible visage, restrained and generous on equal measure, a rare desert flower briefly and intensely igniting the scenery. “Follow me, all of you. I get a feeling I know the gist of your long tale, and it’s not fit to be revealed standing stiffly in this ample hall. My library’s chairs and its gentle fire will suffice. Ellwood, Glacia,” she gestured at the old man and at the woman in leather armor, “you too. Let us all go to my study.”

Aldous glanced inquisitively at Gorken, then at Malia, to confirm he had heard properly. Malia nodded tensely, baffled too by Frida’s sudden acceptance. The princess then rushed to walk by her aunt’s side, “How can you know the gist of our tale?”

“Dear, you have human rebels and two humanoid demons with you. Those clues are more than enough, I would think. Or do you truly think you’re the first immortal to grasp there’s something wrong with our kingdom?”

Description

You can also follow ENDLESS on TWITTER !

Previous Chapter: ENDLESS Chapter 49: Journey

Next Chapter: ENDLESS Chapter 51: Question

All Chapters HERE .

Watch the Trailer: ENDLESS Trailer

CHAPTER 50: EIRIAN

The Eirian throne room was as Malia remembered it; no amount of time could disperse its striking image from memory. Bright light charged at the young group through the stained glass windows, the disparate pillars flanked their path to the queen. One pillar for each Eirian monarch. Tradition dictated that every Eirian ruler must add their own, built to abide by their beauty. A column of intricately carved marble, one dark and smooth as a starless night, one constructed from jagged stone, one implausibly crystalline… Not one pillar mirrored another.

And at the end of the engineered spectacle, Frida Eirian sat leisurely on her throne. The queen’s shimmery gown matched her grey eyes, sparkling with fierce curiosity. But it was her aunt’s flowing plum hair that forced Malia to instantly and involuntarily think of her mother.

“How many years has it been?” Frida’s voice was as lovely as the rest of her, “I couldn’t be blamed for not recognizing you. You resemble Cattleya more than the cute little girl who last visited us.”

“I don’t know how many exactly… But you stayed the same, aunt Frida.”

“So you do remember us. I was beginning to wonder… Speak then. Your appearance, your companions and your timing intrigue me.”

It was then, as Malia arranged her thoughts enough to talk coherently, that she noticed the elderly man sitting next to Frida and looking down affably at her. How didn’t I see him there before? “…We’ve discovered valuable information regarding the kingdom and how it came to be. We intend to change the current order, and for that purpose we wish to ally ourselves with you, the Eirian clan. We came here to share what we’ve found in hopes of convincing you.”

“Those are some grand words… valuable information, current order, the kingdom… Have you told anyone else about it?”

“We informed the members of the human rebellion.”

“I meant anyone else with actual power.”

“…No.”

Frida narrowed her eyes slightly, “Did you think of telling Clarissa about all this ‘valuable information’?”

“I haven’t really had a chance.” Malia was confused, “With Amos in the northern palace I can’t easily contact my mother.”

Frida exhaled audibly, ensuring her displeasure was palpable, “Are you aware of what’s going on up north this very moment? Of the mess you left for my little sister to clean up?”

Malia didn’t have an answer. She glanced quickly at her friends, then back at Frida.

“Clearly, you are not.” The southern queen leaned back on her throne, “On a cloudless night, your mother’s white hawk brought me a desperate message. Cain had captured you, locked you in a dungeon, and she feared for your life. Amos refused to listen to Clarissa, ecstatic to finally have a proper reason to get rid of you. My sister begged me to remind Amos why he had kept you alive for so long: your Eirian blood. That is to say, our power, our army, and how much he feared war with us.” Frida stood up, her footsteps crisp on the polished floor, “I answered the call, of course. A company of our finest soldiers turned up as promptly as the horses allowed, but what did they find? Not you, my dear niece, but a hallway full of corpses, if you can call what was left of Prince Cain a corpse.”

Gorken stepped forward, as if ready to answer should he be mentioned, while Malia opened her mouth soundlessly, searching for ways to change the course of the conversation.

“That’s fine, you can stay quiet for a bit longer. I’m not done yet.” Frida kept elegantly pacing back and forth, “Shortly after the arrival of our soldiers, Amos threw himself out of the window of his chamber. Servants reported he couldn’t handle the loss of his son.”

Malia’s breath caught in her throat. She had resented her uncle for as long as she could recall… and yet the image of his body colliding with the ground made her entrails twist in unnatural ways.

“Now, what did the rest of the Daimonlance clan deduce?” Frida stopped walking, “They’re not a brilliant bloodline, but I can’t blame them for once. How did a single princess massacre a bunch of soldiers? What were Eirian troops doing in the north the same day Amos killed himself? How come two Daimonlance kings have died while married to Clarissa Eirian? …Did you, for even a second, pause to ponder about the chaos you were leaving behind? Did you spare my little sister a glimmer of a thought?”

“She wasn’t responsible for that.” Gorken spoke up, “I’m the one who killed Cain. When our rescue party found Malia, she was as good as dead. Your soldiers weren’t there in time. We had no way of knowing her mother was aware of the situation, nor could we have predicted Amos’ suicide.”

“Correct answer, human boy. Your name?”

“Gorken.”

“I’ll remember it.” Frida’s stare returned to Malia, “It’s fair to say you couldn’t have known at the time. You do, however, realize how hard it is to take your claim of possessing valuable information seriously when you’re clueless about the consequences of your own actions? Talking about changing the order of the kingdom while being ignorant of its current state… That’s almost belligerently incompetent. You come here, seeking to benefit from the Eirian blood coursing through your veins, when you left your own mother in the midst of a gory scandal. Why should I listen to you instead of grounding you as I would a child?”

Malia met Frida’s eyes, “Because you’re a wise ruler. I may have proven to be obtusely short-sighted… but you’re not. You lose nothing by hearing what we have to say, and then punishing us if you see fit. If our presence intrigued you it’s because we may hold answers you don’t have. I trust the judgment of the Eirian Queen to assess the value of what we’re offering, and to act accordingly.”

Calmly and gracefully, Frida walked down the steps to stand in front of her niece. “You have your father’s eyes.” She said, “The eyes that stole my sister from me. Now you seek to take even more. Arthur’s turquoise gaze was a little too earnest, a little too intrusive. It always disarmed Clarissa. I never got the appeal.”

Then the queen smiled. It was an irresistible visage, restrained and generous on equal measure, a rare desert flower briefly and intensely igniting the scenery. “Follow me, all of you. I get a feeling I know the gist of your long tale, and it’s not fit to be revealed standing stiffly in this ample hall. My library’s chairs and its gentle fire will suffice. Ellwood, Glacia,” she gestured at the old man and at the woman in leather armor, “you too. Let us all go to my study.”

Aldous glanced inquisitively at Gorken, then at Malia, to confirm he had heard properly. Malia nodded tensely, baffled too by Frida’s sudden acceptance. The princess then rushed to walk by her aunt’s side, “How can you know the gist of our tale?”

“Dear, you have human rebels and two humanoid demons with you. Those clues are more than enough, I would think. Or do you truly think you’re the first immortal to grasp there’s something wrong with our kingdom?”